Vancouver drafted Glen Hanlon in the 1977 Entry draft, and although he did don the Canucks sweater four times during the '77-'78 season, he made his mark that year in the CHL. He played fifty-three games for the Tulsa Oilers, earning CHL Rookie of the Year honours, and was named to the First All-Star team. He was considered a contender to repeat as rookie of the year the following season, this time in the NHL, but a knee injury sidelined the young goaltender for several months and he played only thirty-one games for the Canucks.

Hanlon was known as an intense, dedicated player, one who had no trouble getting mentally prepared for a game but equally who had a hard time calming down afterward. So seriously did he take his performance that coaches occasionally had to use their 30-second time out to calm him down after he had let in a goal. In spite of the emotion and hyperactivity, he quickly earned the loyalty of Vancouver fans who considered him "The Franchise." By the time Hanlon was twenty-three, no less exalted a hockey personage than Don Cherry called him "the best goalie in the NHL."

Hanlon played for the Canucks until 1982, but he was plagued by a series of injuries to his knee and shoulder that kept him out of action for long stretches. Although he was a team player in every respect, working hard on his game and volunteering his time generously in the community, he was traded in March 1982. The Canucks management was looking for more scoring power and St. Louis was looking for depth in goal, so Hanlon was sent to the Blues. He left Vancouver with dignity, with nothing but kind words for the Canucks organization and the area press. He maintained his 'team first" attitude in St. Louis, in spite of not getting much ice time. After a short stint with the Blues, Hanlon was traded to the New York Rangers, in January 1983.

The Rangers gave Hanlon more playing time, and he remained a Blueshirt until 1986, when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. He played the next five seasons with the Red Wings organization. Although Hanlon once stated that he was paid to win games, not just post shutouts, he did lead the league in shutouts during the 1987-88 season. He retired in 1991, but after a year off he returned to the game as a goaltending coach for the Canucks. He stayed in that position until 1999, before moving on to coach the AHL's Portland Pirates. Hanlon coached the Portland for three seasons before replacing Washington Capital head coach, Bruce Cassidy midway through the 2003-004 season.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

W

L

T

SO

Avg

GP

W

L

T

SO

Avg

1973-74

Brandon Travellers

MJHL

20

1

3.63

1974-75

Brandon Wheat Kings

WCJHL

43

0

4.22

5

0

6.13

1975-76

Brandon Wheat Kings

WCJHL

64

4

3.99

5

0

6.60

1975-76

New Westminster Bruins

M-Cup

4

2

1

0

0

3.35

1976-77

Brandon Wheat Kings

WCJHL

65

4

3.09

16

0

3.48

1977-78

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

4

1

2

1

0

2.70

1977-78

Tulsa Oilers

CHL

53

25

23

3

3

3.07

2

1

1

0

0

2.50

1978-79

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

31

12

13

5

3

3.10

1979-80

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

57

17

29

10

0

3.47

2

0

0

0

3.00

1980-81

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

17

5

8

0

1

4.44

1980-81

Dallas Black Hawks

CHL

4

3

1

0

1

2.01

1981-82

Vancouver Canucks

NHL

28

8

14

5

1

3.95

1981-82

St. Louis Blues

NHL

2

0

1

0

0

6.32

3

0

2

0

4.95

1982-83

St. Louis Blues

NHL

14

3

8

1

0

4.47

1982-83

New York Rangers

NHL

21

9

10

1

0

3.43

1

0

1

0

5.00

1983-84

New York Rangers

NHL

50

28

14

4

1

3.51

5

2

3

1

2.53

1984-85

New York Rangers

NHL

44

14

20

7

0

4.18

3

0

3

0

5.00

1985-86

New York Rangers

NHL

23

5

12

1

0

3.33

3

0

0

0

4.80

1985-86

Adirondack Red Wings

AHL

10

5

4

1

0

3.27

1985-86

New Haven Nighthawks

AHL

5

3

2

0

0

4.73

1986-87

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

36

11

16

5

1

3.18

8

5

2

2

1.67

1987-88

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

47

22

17

5

4

3.23

8

4

3

1

3.06

1988-89

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

39

13

14

8

1

3.56

2

0

1

0

5.38

1989-90

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

45

15

18

5

1

4.03

1990-91

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

19

4

6

3

0

3.20

1990-91

San Diego Gulls

IHL

11

6

4

0

0

3.88

NHL Totals

477

167

202

61

13

3.59

35

11

15

4

3.14

WCJHL First All-Star Team (1976, 1977) WCJHL Goaltender of the Year (1977) CHL First All-Star Team (1978) Ken McKenzie Trophy (Rookie of the Year - CHL) (1978)